TY - JOUR
T1 - Anticoagulants and reduced thrombus load in abdominal aortic aneurysms assessed with three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound examination
AU - Skov, Rebecca Andrea Conradsen
AU - Eiberg, Jonas P
AU - Rouet, Laurence
AU - Eldrup, Nikolaj
AU - Zielinski, Alexander H
AU - Broda, Magdalena A
AU - Goetze, Jens P
AU - Ghulam, Qasam M
N1 - Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023/1
Y1 - 2023/1
N2 - OBJECTIVE: The relationship between intraluminal thrombus (ILT) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) growth and rupture risk remains ambiguous. Studies have shown a limited effect of antiplatelet therapy on ILT size, whereas the impact of anticoagulant therapy on ILT is unresolved. This study aims to evaluate an association between antithrombotic therapy and ILT size assessed with three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound (3D-CEUS) examination in a cohort of patients with AAA.METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 309 patients with small AAAs were examined with 3D-CEUS. Patients were divided into three groups based on prescribed antithrombotic therapy: anticoagulant (n = 36), antiplatelet (n = 222), and no antithrombotic therapy (n = 51). Patient ILT size was calculated in volume and thickness and compared between the three groups.RESULTS: Patients on anticoagulants had a significantly lower estimated marginal mean ILT volume of 16 mL (standard error [SE], ±3.2) compared with 28 mL (SE, ±2.7) in the no antithrombotic group and 30 mL (SE, ±1.3) in the antiplatelet group when adjusting for AAA volume (P < .001) and comorbidities (P < .001). In addition, patients on anticoagulant therapy had significantly lower estimated marginal mean ILT thickness of 10 mm (SE, ±1.1) compared with 13 mm (SE, ±0.9) in the no antithrombotic group of and 13mm (SE, ±0.4) in the antiplatelet group when adjusting for AAA diameter (P = .03) and comorbidities (P = .035).CONCLUSIONS: A 3D-CEUS examination is applicable for ILT assessment and demonstrates that patients with AAA on anticoagulant therapy have lower ILT thickness and volume than patients with AAA on antiplatelet therapy and those without antithrombotic therapy. Causality between anticoagulants and ILT size, and extrapolation to AAA growth and rupture risk, is unknown and merits further investigations, to further nuance US-based AAA surveillance strategy.
AB - OBJECTIVE: The relationship between intraluminal thrombus (ILT) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) growth and rupture risk remains ambiguous. Studies have shown a limited effect of antiplatelet therapy on ILT size, whereas the impact of anticoagulant therapy on ILT is unresolved. This study aims to evaluate an association between antithrombotic therapy and ILT size assessed with three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound (3D-CEUS) examination in a cohort of patients with AAA.METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 309 patients with small AAAs were examined with 3D-CEUS. Patients were divided into three groups based on prescribed antithrombotic therapy: anticoagulant (n = 36), antiplatelet (n = 222), and no antithrombotic therapy (n = 51). Patient ILT size was calculated in volume and thickness and compared between the three groups.RESULTS: Patients on anticoagulants had a significantly lower estimated marginal mean ILT volume of 16 mL (standard error [SE], ±3.2) compared with 28 mL (SE, ±2.7) in the no antithrombotic group and 30 mL (SE, ±1.3) in the antiplatelet group when adjusting for AAA volume (P < .001) and comorbidities (P < .001). In addition, patients on anticoagulant therapy had significantly lower estimated marginal mean ILT thickness of 10 mm (SE, ±1.1) compared with 13 mm (SE, ±0.9) in the no antithrombotic group of and 13mm (SE, ±0.4) in the antiplatelet group when adjusting for AAA diameter (P = .03) and comorbidities (P = .035).CONCLUSIONS: A 3D-CEUS examination is applicable for ILT assessment and demonstrates that patients with AAA on anticoagulant therapy have lower ILT thickness and volume than patients with AAA on antiplatelet therapy and those without antithrombotic therapy. Causality between anticoagulants and ILT size, and extrapolation to AAA growth and rupture risk, is unknown and merits further investigations, to further nuance US-based AAA surveillance strategy.
KW - Anticoagulants/adverse effects
KW - Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal/diagnostic imaging
KW - Cross-Sectional Studies
KW - Humans
KW - Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors
KW - Thrombosis/diagnostic imaging
KW - Contrast-enhanced ultrasound examination
KW - Intraluminal thrombus
KW - Abdominal aortic aneurysm
KW - Three-dimensional ultrasound examination
KW - Anticoagulant therapy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85136242131&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jvs.2022.07.019
DO - 10.1016/j.jvs.2022.07.019
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 35931398
SN - 0741-5214
VL - 77
SP - 143
EP - 149
JO - Journal of Vascular Surgery
JF - Journal of Vascular Surgery
IS - 1
ER -